Credit: Motorsports Games
- Two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso is now an investor and board member of Motorsport Games.
- Motorsport Games runs the eNASCAR Heat Pro League and the Le Mans Esport Series, among others.
- According to the announcement, Alonso will help shape the organization as it invites other global motorsport brands to join forces.
Spanish racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso has joined Motorsport Network’s Motorsports Games as an investor and board member.
Motorsport Games is an esports initiative that creates interactive experiences around real-life racing events. Partnerships include the eNASCAR Heat Pro League with NASCAR, the Le Mans Esport Series with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and a recently announced event with Codemasters that includes racing title DiRT Rally 2.0. The company also acquired 704Games, which holds the NASCAR games license and is the publisher and developer of the NASCAR Heat series.
The Motorsport Games division is chaired by John Schappert, former COO of Electronic Arts 
. Motorsport Games President Stephen Hood is the former creative director of Codemasters’ F1 games.
Related Article: NASCAR Works With Race Team Alliance, 704Games for new eNASCAR Heat Pro League
As a member of the board, Alonso says he will use his experience as a real-life driver to consult on player experiences and overall business strategy. He will also assist as Motorsport Network seeks additional esports partners.
“In all aspects of my motor racing career, whether in F1, in IndyCars or here in Sebring with sports cars, one of the consistent factors all over the world is Motorsport Network,” Alonso said in a release. “Their scale, as well as their commitment to esport with all of their recent initiatives, convinced me that Motorsport Games is an organization with great capability and ambition.
“Esport is no longer a fantasy,” he added, “it’s a reality and something I have been passionate about for some time. Investing in, and helping to lead Motorsport Games will allow me to make a real contribution to this exciting aspect of motorsport’s future. Esport is not better or worse, but it is different and one of the important distinctions is that it provides a way to open up motor racing to the fans.”
Motorsport Games’ acquisition of 704Games not only granted access to the NASCAR game license. It also leverages Motorsport Network’s existing relationships within the racing sim industry by positioning them as a publisher and developer in addition to doing business as an esports events and experiences organizer.
As a result, NASCAR is working with 704Games and the Race Team Alliance (RTA) to launch the eNASCAR Heat Pro League. The new console-based esports league will feature up to 16 virtual race teams, and each of them will be owned by a different official NASCAR team.
